Penn State looks to get back on track against a tough Iowa squad

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Quinn Barham is one of the veteran voices of the Penn State offense, a tackle and cocaptain who continues to have a sunny disposition, despite being part of an inconsistent unit, and a positive prognosis for what needs to be done.

It's good that Barham is optimistic. The Nittany Lions reach the halfway point of their schedule Saturday against arch-nemesis Iowa with much of their fan base wondering whether this team is closer in ability to last year's mediocre 7-6 team than it is to being a Big Ten Conference contender.

A lot has been said this week about the fact that the Hawkeyes (3-1), who are opening their 2011 Big Ten season at Beaver Stadium, have won three consecutive games and eight of their last nine against the Lions. Linebacker Glenn Carson surprised teammates and opponents alike by calling Iowa "a wrestling school" after being affected by fans' taunts last year in Iowa City.

But Barham, a 304-pound fifth-year senior, said his team isn't as concerned with ending a jinx as it is with concentrating on being consistent and efficient on offense, something that the Lions (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) weren't a week ago when they gained 464 total yards but scored only 16 points against lowly Indiana.

"The streak and the records and the past, we're not really worried about that," he said. "The focus is getting better as a team, finishing every play, getting better every day. I think that's one thing we stress a lot.

"We know we have to be fired up to play. We can't come out slow and then try to come back from behind."

The sharpness issue has been a puzzle, not just last week but in games against Alabama and Temple. Barham said film study of last week's game showed "always one or two people who did not execute their job to their fullest potential, and that was costing us."

The evidence last week included a holding penalty that nullified a touchdown on Penn State's initial offensive possession and a Rob Bolden interception off a tipped ball at the Indiana 1 on the next play. There also was Silas Redd's fumble inside the Hoosier 5 in the third quarter, the second huge turnover in the red zone.

"It's a matter of execution at the right time and every guy winning his position battle," Barham said, "whether it's the quarterback making the reads, or the offensive linemen staying on their blocks longer, or a receiver staying on his block or running his route better. Everybody has to do their job a little better and with more effort."

Iowa's defense is not the ultra-talented unit of the past, since three of its defensive linemen who hounded Penn State were taken in the 2011 NFL draft. The Hawkeyes are 73d nationally in yards allowed (386) and have yielded nearly 24 points per game.

One week after a trace of snow was measured here, temperatures are supposed to be in the 70s at kickoff, and a crowd of more than 100,000 will be fired up.

When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College

TV/Radio: 6ABC; WNTP-AM (990), WNPV-AM (1440).

Records: Iowa 3-1 overall, 0-0 Big Ten; Penn State, 4-1, 1-0.

Coaches: Iowa, Kirk Ferentz (13th season, 92-61); Penn State, Joe Paterno (46th season, 405-136-3).

Series: The Nittany Lions have lost eight of the last nine games to the Hawkeyes, giving Iowa a 12-11 advantage. Penn State's last win came in 2007 at home.

Betting line: Penn State by 3½.

THINGS TO WATCH

The red zone is an issue on both sides for Penn State. The Nittany Lions turned it over twice in the red zone against Indiana. The defense has yet to keep an opponent from scoring in 10 red-zone trips.

This will be the second week in a row Penn State's defense will be going up against a no-huddle offense. The Hawkeyes have been successful with it, averaging 422 yards and 38 points per game.

THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW

After posting an 11-tackle performance against Indiana, junior linebacker Gerald Hodges (Paulsboro High) has assumed the team lead in total tackles with 31.

Derek Moye spent his summer as a front-office intern with the State College Spikes of the single-A New York-Penn League. As part of his job, he had to dress up as "The Situation" for a Jersey Shore spoof.- Joe Juliano

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